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Cotton Candy scores a perfect 10 and ‘The Masked Dancer’ finale reveals the final three stars

One fluffy athlete springboards to the top.
by Murtz Jaffer
February 18, 2021 9:38 a.m. EST
CTV CTV

It’s The Masked Dancer (watch the full season on CTV.ca) finale! Time to find out who would be crowned the debut champion of a show that we can only describe as being strangely addictive.

The first part of the two-hour finale started with a recap that featured the performances of the finalists from the entire season. No need to rehash them. For our purposes, however, there were some clues that we should probably make note of.

Just before the real finale got started, Sloth, Cotton Candy and Tulip did shadow puppets that were indicators of their true identities. 

Sloth’s was a dog and said that their dog days are far from over. Cotton Candy said that if we wanted to find out who she really was, her fingers could be counted on to provide a clue. We then saw a hand with each finger made of mini hands also holding up five fingers. Just when we thought this show couldn’t be stranger… We guess the clue is either give or 25.

Finally, Tulip did a shadow puppet of a penguin and said that she shared a special relationship with one. Hmm…

The show opened with Craig Robinson singing “Time of my Life” as the dancers came out to take their first bows of the evening. 

The host showed us a scoreboard that provided insight into how the judges had fared through the season. Brian and Paula were tied for first place with two correct answers, while Ken and Ashley were also tied for second, with one correct guess each.

The power of the flower

In her final opening video of the season, Tulip’s first clue was a letter E balloon wearing a disguise that resembled Mr. Potato Head. We were then shown a make-up kit strung up with a fish hook. Tulip told us that she was the youngest child in her talented family and how it was easy for her to be “overshadowed.” We also saw a barrel marked “X ALE.” That has to be a song title right?  

Tulip danced to “Kings & Queens” by Ava Max. The elaborate set design included a life-sized chessboard and a leafy throne, complemented by a performance.

For her final Word Up! clue, Tulip said “followers.” 

Paula hypothesized that the make-up kit on the fish hook actually referred to the dancer having their own make-up line. Ken thought that the ALE clue was referencing actress Lucy HALE. Ashley stuck with dancer Mackenzie Ziegler and said that Maddie’s sister had a song called “Exhale” which was referenced in the video. 

Craig then showed us a graphic board featuring all of the panel’s guesses for Tulip this season. These include Ariana Grande, Heather Morris, Charli D’Amelio, Simone Biles, Kristen Bell, Sarah Hyland, Julianne Hough, Liza Koshy, Haylie Duff, Jamie Lynn Spears, Noah Cyrus along with the new guesses from this episode.

Sloth hits a strike

In his video, we saw heart monitor lines in Sloth’s eyes, referencing a doctor once again. He told us that dancing wasn’t new for him but that this was his first experience being the student instead of the teacher. He said that he was no longer the “bad boy” we once knew him as. We were also shown a “Jump Street” sign as the dancer said that people can’t dislike him if they can’t see him. Hmm, that’s a catchphrase that WWE superstar John Cena uses all the time. 

Sloth said he was a good man and that he has a son. He shouted that he was ready to “maximize” the dancing and win. To us, that really sounded like pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 

Sloth jived to “Ballroom Blitz” by The Struts, and the performance was both entertaining and energetic. At one point, the dancers pretended to be bowling pins that Sloth knocked down and it seemed like he had more spring in his step than at any other point in the season.

For Word Up! Sloth went with “magical.”

Ashley suggested that it was actor Hugh Jackman as he played a magician in The Prestige. Ken went with Channing Tatum, referring to the actor’s role in the 21 Jump Street movie. 

We then got to see the Sloth board of guesses from the judges. At some point this season, they thought Matthew Morrison, Kevin Federline, Jonathan Groff, Keegan Michael Key, Will Ferrell, Bradley Cooper, Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly, Harry Shum, Jack Black, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Dempsey, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Val Chmerkovskiy and Channing Tatum could all be underneath the mask.

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Soft and strong Cotton Candy

In her video, Cotton Candy referred to constantly being judged. One of our first clues was the dancer pushing her palms together in a prayer-like position. She also told us that she was a champion and that while her competitors have more dancefloor experience, her skills allow her to soar. There were five crane or bird constellations shown to us as well.

Cotton Candy danced to “This Is Me” by Kesha. It was both an inspired song choice and an inspired performance. Vulnerable, technical, emotional and strong. 

For the final Word Up! clue of the season, Cotton Candy went with “foundation.”  

Ken decided to go with figure skater Michelle Kwan. Ashley went with one of the gymnasts from the U.S. Final Five Olympic team that featured both Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas.

For our board review, we saw that the judges had guessed Jenna Dewan, Pink, Julianne Hough, Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, Jennifer Lopez, Gabi Butler, Simone Biles, Hayden Panettiere, Gabby Douglas and Michelle Kwan at some point this season.

The elimination

After the audience vote, Craig Robinson announced that the singer in third place was Tulip. We were stunned. We thought Tulip was going to be this season’s winner! 

Before the unmasking, it was time to get a little more info.

Tulip admitted to having a background in reality television, living in Los Angeles, having a TikTok obsession and dancing from a young age. 

Paula’s final guess was YouTuber Liza Koshy. Ken went with Lucy Hale. Brian went in a new direction with actress Sabrina Carpenter. Huh?!  Ashley doubled down on her guess of Mackenzie Ziegler saying that the “E” clue with a disguise looked like a mad “e” that stood for Mackenzie’s sister Maddie Ziegler. Wow. Great observation!  Maybe Ashley really was saving her best for last. 

Tulip was… Mackenzie Ziegler!

Let’s recap. The mac n’ cheese that we once saw in Tulip’s package was a clue to Mackenzie’s name. The bag of chips referenced Mackenzie’s famous line from Dance Moms, where she said that all she wanted to do was to “stay home and eat chips.” 

The number 11 stood for the year that Dance Moms debuted (2011). The iceberg in the armpits from last week actually meant Pittsburgh (where Mackenzie is from). The bus ticket marked AL to DC was a reference to The Abby Lee Dance Company. 

The winner

It was then time to find out who would be taking home the Diamond Mask trophy. Craig announced that the winner of The Masked Dancer was… Cotton Candy!!!

Before we learned the true identity of our champion, it was time to unmask the runner-up.

First, the judges held their final inquisition. We learned that Sloth had hosted a major event, that we had seen him without his shirt on, that he had been on the cover of a major magazine, and that he was over the age of 35.

Paul remembered the letter “U” and took that to mean Ukraine. She also recalled the pita bread clue and thought it stood for Peta Murgatroyd, the wife of… Maks Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With The Stars. This was clearly enough evidence for Brian who promptly changed his pick from Val Chmerkovskiy to Maks Chmerkovskiy (wait a minute Brian… what happened to you saying you saw Maks recently?). Ken locked in on Channing Tatum while Ashley stuck with Hugh Jackman.

Sloth was… Maksim Chmerkovskiy!  Paula and Brian both got it!

Let’s recap. The blue and yellow beakers in one of Sloth’s videos were a reference to the Ukrainian flag (where Maksim is from). The “amber” in Sloth’s package referred to the time Maksim was partnered with Amber Rose on Dancing With The Stars.

When Maks said “broadway” as his Word Up! clue, he was cluing us into his work in the Broadway productions of Burn The Floor and Forever Tango. The stethoscope? That was from when Maks guest-starred on General Hospital. He told the judges that the Glee toothpaste was referencing his partnership with Heather Morris on Dancing With The Stars which was also what the Dental Whitening Tooth System stood for as well (Dancing With The Stars). The Super Clue of 18 referred to Maks winning season 18 of the show as well. 

Before our winner, Cotton Candy, unmasked, the judges made their final picks.

Brian said that it was figure skater Tara Lipinski based on the numerous lip clues we received throughout the season. Ken thought that the prayer sign Cotton Candy made was a hint to Michelle Kwan’s famous “Dante’s Prayer” routine and picked the skater. Paula thought the prayer sign referred to Gabby Douglas who Paula said was deeply religious. Ashley didn’t change her mind and stuck with gymnast Simone Biles. 

Cotton Candy was… Gabby Douglas!

Paula was right! She was also the winning judge as Gabby was her fourth correct prediction.

Let’s recap. The lipstick clues were a nod to Gabby’s lipstick line. Cotton Candy holding a chocolate bar above her head was a clue to Gabby’s book Raising the Bar. The subway sign labelled F-S was a clue to the initials of Gabby’s nickname… Flying Squirrel. 

The dollar signs in Cotton Candy’s eyes were a reference to Gabby training in Ohio… the "Buckeye" State. The English breakfast that we saw was a reference to the London Olympics where Gabby won gold. The clock with the letters that spelled “Life” was actually trying to lead us to Gabby’s Lifetime movie. 

What’s next?  Come on. You already know the answer. 

The Masked Singer returns to CTV on Wednesday, March 10 at 8p ET/5p PT!

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